Piece by Piece
by darkest-nights-will-end
Summary: Miles calls his father with some exciting news. When Mr. Hollingsworth doesn't react in a positive manner, Miles is left to contemplate his future with Tristan.


**Hello! This is based off of the song 'Piece by Piece' by Kelly Clarkson. It's such a Miles/Triles song to me.**

Miles took a deep breath as he picked up his phone, dialing the all too familiar number. Saying he was nervous would be an understatement, but, he knew he had to make the phone call. Tristan had been unsure if it would be healthy for him, but Miles knew it was the right thing to do. He hoped it would go well, but he wasn't overly confident.

"Hello?"

"Hey...Dad," Miles said tentatively. He tried to control his breathing. He still got incredibly anxious around the man, even though years had gone by since the two had really interacted.

"Miles," he said, confused. Miles never called him unless something was wrong. "Is everything okay? To what do I owe this...pleasure?"

"Everything is fine. I just wanted to know- uh, how you're doing?" Miles wasn't sure if he could do this. All of the bad memories with his father were flooding back to him. So he stalled, putting off the inevitable.

"Miles, I live a busy life, I don't have time for anything other than whatever it is you called for." His father saw right through him.

"Alright, fine. I, um, I actually have something pretty big to tell you," he led with.

"And that would be?" Mr. Hollingsworth sounded busy. He was probably doing some other work while he talked to his son.

"Well, um, Tristan and I, you know, have been together for some time now, and we've decided to have a, um, a child." He barely got the sentence out. He was close to a panic attack, he knew it, but he still smiled at the mention of his son or daughter. He was so excited to have a little Hollingsworth/Milligan running around. If he could just put off panicking until after this phone call, he could show his father that he was strong.

" _You're_ having a child?" Mr. Hollingsworth laughed, as if it were a joke. "You're not even married, Miles, you think you're going to be able to raise another human? And how does that even work? I know you didn't pay much attention in biology, but you can't exactly knock him up."

Miles felt his spirit crush. He had hoped that his father would take the news well, but he seemed to be making a mockery of it, just as he had been doing with Miles's life for years.

"We'll get married when the time is right, Dad." Miles had bought a ring a while ago, he was just waiting for the perfect time to officially propose to Tristan. Besides, a ring on a finger didn't mean nearly as much as the emotions the two men felt for each other. Miles was very secure in the knowledge that he and Tristan were unbreakable. "As for the child, we were talking to Frankie, and she very graciously offered to donate the egg and be the surrogate. So our child will have both Milligan and Hollingsworth DNA."

"Now you're bringing your sister into this?" Mr. Hollingsworth sounded absolutely disgusted with the idea. "You're forcing her to carry a child that isn't hers? How selfish are you?"

"Dad, she _offered_! She _wants_ to do this. We made an agreement, and I'm paying her for everything. Tristan and I are incredibly grateful to her. Mom is happy, Hunter is happy, Frankie is happy, Tristan's brother, Owen, is happy, everybody is happy except you! Why can't you just _be happy_ for us?" He asked, his voice cracking a bit. He knew his father shouldn't matter, but he did. Miles just wanted to make the man proud, for once in his life.

"Because you can barely take care of yourself, Miles! It wasn't too long ago you were smoking up every 15 minutes and changing sexual partners faster than most people change clothes," Mr. Hollingsworth hissed. Time had clearly not healed the wounds between the two men.

"Yeah, no thanks to you! Maybe I wouldn't have been such a bad son if you hadn't been such an awful father!" He released his frustrations out on his father. He wasn't living under his roof, he didn't have to take his abuse any longer. "Besides, the difference between me and you is that _I changed_ when I saw how my actions hurt my loved ones."

"I tried my best with you, Miles. It's not my fault you turned out to be a failure! I don't know how that boyfriend of yours can even tolerate your presence, let alone want to raise a child with you. Probably why he doesn't want to marry you!" He snapped at his son.

Miles went silent. He'd been fighting those kinds of thoughts for many years, and it had only been with constant reassurance from Tristan and extensive therapy that he had been able to ward off the demons that his father had implemented in his head many years ago. And he wasn't going to undo all of that with one phone call. He was done letting his father dictate how he felt.

"Because, Dad, Tristan and I? We're _in love_. I don't know if you know what it feels like, but it's one of the best feelings in the world. Knowing that somebody cares about me, and caring about him in return. It doesn't matter that we aren't married, because I can promise that we feel more love for each other than you ever did for Mom. And in some ways, I want to thank you. Because of you, I know exactly how _not_ to act as a father." There were so many other things he wanted to say, but it wouldn't do anything. He knew, for sure now, that his father wouldn't ever change.

"There you go again, being a disrespectful shit. This is why you and I never had the relationship you claim to have wanted so badly." Miles had had enough, He was done with his father. If he had anything to say about it, his father would never meet his son or daughter. And he knew Tristan would agree. But he had just one more thing to tell his father. It was the adrenaline coursing through his veins, outweighing the anxiety momentarily.

"You completely destroyed me, Dad. But Tristan put me back together...I have to go. Take care." The last part was uttered sarcastically. Miles hung up the phone, tapping on the screen perhaps just a bit too hard. He lied back in his bed, reliving the conversation. Just because he was mad doesn't mean he wasn't also hurt. However, he wasn't able to drown in his thoughts for long, because the door opened after only a moment.

Tristan had been outside the whole time, listening to Miles's end of the conversation. He had known it wasn't going to go well, but Miles had been dead set on calling his father, and Tristan had been dead set on supporting him.

The sight in front of him broke Tristan's heart. Miles, lying on the bed, clutching one of their pillows to his chest. He was shaking slightly, and he had finally allowed tears to start streaming down his face. It was the tell tale signs of a panic attack. Although they happened less than they had when they were in high school, every now and again something would happen to trigger Miles's anxiety.

"I'm sorry your dad sucks," he said, sitting down on the bed gently. Sometimes, Miles wanted to be hugged and touched, and others, he just needed space. However, this time was the former, made clear when Miles reached out for his boyfriend's hand. Tristan laced their fingers together before lying down with Miles, holding him in his arms. Usually, it was the other way around, but right now, Miles needed the comfort.

"Hey Tris?" He asked, not quite meeting the other boy's eyes. It had taken a long time for Miles to be able to open up about his insecurities, but Tristan had stood by him through it all, and Miles felt he could truly tell him anything without being judged.

"Yeah?"

"Do you- do you think I'm going to be a good dad?" Tristan held him just a little bit tighter as he spoke, meaning every word.

"Miles, you're going to be a great father. I know you are. You're already a wonderful son, brother, friend, and boyfriend, among others. Adding 'father' to this list just means there's going to be one more person who adores you." Miles smiled, but he wasn't completely convinced yet.

"But what if I turn out like my father?"

"Babe, no offense, but your dad isn't a dad in anything other than the biological meaning of the word. But I've seen you. I see how excited you get when Frankie's name pops up on your phone. The way your eyes shine when we walk past the baby clothes while we're out shopping. Hell, even with the twins, you already act like a father to them. You're going to be wonderful. There's nobody else I'd rather raise a child with."

"Do you mean that?" Miles felt dumb asking, but he needed the reassurance.

"Of course I do. If I wasn't sure we were 100% ready, we wouldn't be bringing new life into the world. But we are ready. And soon, there's going to be another little Hollingsworth lying here with us. And I know you'll love them no matter what. We're going to do this. Together. Do you remember the baby we took care of in school?" Miles smiled fondly at the memory of he and Tristan awkwardly trying to care for Miles Jr. in their Junior year. That reminded him, there was no way they were naming their child 'Miles IV.'

"It's what brought us together," he said as Tristan nodded.

"Exactly. We're not going to be perfect parents. But we're going to be damn close." Miles felt relieved. His shaking had reduced significantly, and he was no longer crying. Tristan had once again managed to save him from the edge.

"I just have one request."

"Yeah? What's that?" Tristan asked. Miles got up, walking over to the desk drawer. He pulled out the box he'd managed to conceal for a few months now, hiding it behind his back. He got down on one knee beside the bed, opening the box for Tristan to see.

"Tristan Milligan. Will you marry me?" Tristan looked between Miles and the ring. Miles looked a bit nervous, but the smile he had come to fall in love with was ever present on his face.

"Is this about your dad? Because, you don't have to do this to prove anything to me-"

"No," Miles cut him off, "This is all me. I want us to be a family. Legally and everything. I want everything with you. I've been waiting for the right moment to ask, but it doesn't matter. Every moment with you is the right moment. So I ask again. Will you marry me? And I hate to ruin the mood, but my knee is really sore, so an answer soon would be nice."

Tristan smiled, pulling Miles up into a kiss. The two couldn't seem to get enough of each other, hands wandering across their bodies. Eventually, the two pulled apart, Miles looking at Tristan questioningly. He knew the answer, but he needed it verbalized.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you."

Miles slipped the ring on and the two continued their activities.

 **Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, or favored. I appreciate it all!**


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